This invention relates to apparatus for guiding cargo to a desired position within a cargo hold of a transportation vehicle such as an aircraft and, more particularly, relates to a cargo guide which is power actuated to and from a position of engagement with cargo containers entering the cargo hold and is preferably operated from a remote location.
Typically, the floor of a cargo hold of a transportation vehicle such as a cargo aircraft is comprised of a plurality of ball mats which permit cargo containers to be moved omni-directionally on the floor of the cargo hold. The containers are generally loaded from the side of the aircraft through a cargo door and, once inside the cargo hold, are then moved fore-and-aft to desired positions within the cargo hold. In order to prevent the containers from moving fore-and-aft until they have reached the desired lateral location within the cargo hold, it is necessary to provide some guiding and restraining means which engages the cargo container on either side and guides it in a straight line as it moves from the cargo door laterally across the cargo hold. This is particularly necessary in aircraft since at times the attitude of the aircraft will be slightly nose or tail down, thereby providing an inclined plane along which the cargo container could slide if it were not restrained by some type of guide assembly.
Once the container has been laterally positioned in the cargo hold the guide assembly must then be adapted to either be completely removed or at least capable of movement to a position of non-engagement with the cargo container so that the container can be moved in a fore-aft direction to its desired final position in the cargo hold.
Prior art guide assemblies have generally been integrally formed in the floor structure of the cargo hold and have been difficult to service and replace due to the extensive disassembly required for removal and reinstallation. Further, it is desirable that the guide assembly be actuatable from a remote location to move it between its respective positions of engagement and non-engagement with the cargo containers. Remote actuation lessens the possibility of personnel hazard by maintaining the cargo handlers' location spaced from the actual containers. For example, when the guide assembly is moved to its position of non-engagement the container may accidentally begin to move and come into contact with the cargo-loading personnel, if those personnel are in close proximity to the container, with the possible result of an injury to such personnel. The remote actuation feature reduces the hazard potential by keeping the personnel away from the containers. Also, prior art guide assemblies have been typically ganged to a single actuator so that all the assemblies were operated in unison.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a power-actuated guide assembly having a cargo-engaging position in which it acts to guide the cargo into the cargo hold in a transverse direction while restraining it from motion in a fore-aft direction.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a guide assembly which is remotely operable either independently or in unison with other guide assemblies for movement of such assemblies between a cargo-engaging position and a position out of engagement with the cargo.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a guide rail assembly which includes the capability of manual operation in the event of power failure or actuator failure.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a guide rail assembly which is easily mountable and demountable from the cargo hold for maintenance and service.